Our dogs pretty much never get ear infections anymore. I know that may sound crazy, akin to declaring the end to bad driving everywhere. But honestly, there are some easy steps you can take to help your dog steer clear of ear infections. In rare cases, dog’s ear infections are due to genetics, breed-specific propensity, or as a signal for some other malady. In most cases, ear health in our pets can be proactively managed – pretty much putting an end to canine ear infections. Here’s how to protect your dog against ear infections. Does Your Dog Have an Ear Infection? Hopefully not, but just in case you’re not sure, there are some signals that your fuzzy one will send out… And rest assured, almost every dog has suffered from a painful ear infection sometime in their life. Watch your dog and if he is scratching or rubbing at his ears or shaking his head he may have an ear infection. Also, dog’s with ear infections tend to have an odor emanating from their ears, often accompanied by red irritated ear canals, and even brown ‘gunk’ in their ear. Gently clear your dog’s fur from his ears and take a peak. I use to freak out when my dog had gunky ears – but after a number of costly trips to the vet and some studying, I found it’s easier to fend off dog’s ear infections than treat it! How To Protect Your Dog Against Ear Infections There are two key steps to fending off ear infections for your dog: Nutrition/pH Balance – combats yeast Proactive Cleaning – combats bacteria Pretty simple right? Well, food is...

Summer is here and with it comes the joy of sitting outside in the evening dusk, doggo by your side, sipping some wine and loving life. Only one thing can bug you on a night like this… Mosquitoes. Yup, if you’re like me mosquitoes love you. Every stinking bit of you. Your ankles, knees, forehead, arms, neck, and occasionally your eyelid… sexy, puffy mosquito bit eyelid. Putting mosquito repellent chemicals on our skin (skin is the largest bodily organ and absorbs 64% of contaminants found in our bodies) just isn’t happening in this house. What do we do? We make our own 3-ingredient, all natural mosquito repellent of course – safe enough to use on our dogs! Mosquitoes…What Are They Good For? Absolutely nothing, say it again y’all! Okay, if you didn’t get that musical 70’s War reference, check it out here people. In all seriousness, mosquitoes are an important part of the aquatic and insect food cycle. Fish and spiders and frogs and the like, they dig mosquito larvae. Me, not so much… Larvae, when not eaten by these critters, grow up to become stinging machines with wings! Mosquito 101: only females suck blood out of you as they need the protein and iron to make baby mosquitoes! Ain’t nature awesome!?! Want to see a close-up of nature in action? Here you go – and this isn’t my hairy arm so don’t leave comments about how I need to wax! You’ll never wipe that from your mind… What’s the answer to keep these blood sucking creatures off of you? All Natural Mosquito Repellent Recipe After numerous trial and error attempts, wasted...

We have shared almost our entire life with dogs. That’s a lot of years… And a lot of dogs! We wouldn’t have it any other way. We’ve adopted rescue pups, shelter dogs, cast aways, ex-show dogs, and even seniors. We’ve learned a thing or two from opening our home and our hearts to dogs. The one thing that always catches us off guard about dogs? When one ‘suddenly’ becomes a senior!! Not literally – it’s like our own lives, we’re just living it and all of a sudden we’re in our 50’s! What happened? Seems like just yesterday we were kids. It’s like that for dogs too – one day a pup, next day a thriving adult dog, and then suddenly, the slowing down and aches and pains your dog experiences as he gets older. The struggle is real people! I should know, I’m managing the aches and pains of aging myself. I try different supplements and alternative therapies. Spike, our 12-year old Chihuahua, and I are in the battle together – my 5 pound fluffy, little compadre! Unlike me, Spike-oh (as I like call him) has some pretty severe issues. IVDD (Intervertebral Disc Disease) has seeped into the little guy’s life, causing aches, pains, arthritis, and spine damage. Surgery really isn’t an option – neurologists are frank that Spike’s size, age, and condition create a sizable chance that he would be left much worse off…if he lived. So, we’ve turned to alternative therapies, including CBD. How hemp and CBD products can help UR dog w/aches, pains, arthritis!! #CBD Click To Tweet What Is CBD and How Does CBD...

Anxiety…. it creeps up on you, doesn’t it? Recently, I experienced an anxiety ridden moment. Something thought conquered can rear it’s head and, wham! So like any highly functioning adult, I went to happy hour and wine’d about it. But is that truly what I should have done? Maybe some yoga, meditation, or hypnotherapy would have been a wiser choice. Unlike us humans, dogs are not in control of some of their choices – so when our dogs suffer from anxiety, we are their stewards for a healthier life. Wine won’t cut it for dogs. Here are some tips to help soothe your dog’s anxiety. Signs Your Dog Has Anxiety How much a dog was socialized as a puppy has a lot to do with who he is today. Just like kids. If a child isn’t exposed to different types of healthy stimulation and challenges, then facing them as a young adult can create stress…both good and bad stress. The prime time for anxiety management in dogs on average starts at six months and a goes until about a year and a half old. Even older dogs who experience a trauma are prone to developing anxiety. Howling, pacing and panting are often associated with anxiety in a dog. Growling can also be a sign your dog is anxious, and even yawning when your dog is not tired can be an indicator. My personal favorite is barking and then retreating. Mookie, our male Shih Tzu, likes that one…he has a particular affinity for it when bicyclist are pedaling by during our mid-day walk. For some odd reason he is stressed out by their...

Today PetSmart® announced the launch of its new “Buy a Bag, Give a Meal™” program, where for every bag of dog or cat food purchased online and at all its 1,500-plus stores across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, the leading pet specialty retailer will donate a meal to a pet in need. The program runs March 1-Dec. 31, 2017, and PetSmart expects to donate more than 60 million meals! To read the full PetSmart “Buy a Bag, Give a Meal” press release, go here. This post is sponsored by PetSmart® and the BlogPaws™ Pet Influencer Network™. PetSmart is not responsible for the content of this article. PetSmart? Yup, PetSmart – Go to One Near You & Buy Some Pet Food Today! Help @PetSmart get info out: Buy a bag, they’ll give a bag 2animals in need! #fortheloveofpets #ad Click To Tweet “At PetSmart we love pets and we believe they make us better people. To celebrate our 30 years of continued commitment to helping pets in need every day and as a trusted partner to pet parents everywhere, we want to celebrate by giving back even more,” said Eran Cohen, chief customer experience officer, PetSmart. “Throughout 2017, every time pet parents purchase any bag of dog or cat food in our stores or online, they can rest assured they are also helping feed pets in need. When their pets eat, pets in need eat, too. It’s that simple.” Buy A Bag of Pet Food and PetSmart Will Give A Bag To Animals In Need This is made possible through the PetSmart Buy A Bag, Give A Meal program and will help...